Citi Open 2024: Ben Shelton vs Radu Albot preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Ben Shelton vs Radu Albot
Date: August 1, 2024
Tournament: Mubadala Citi DC Open
Round: Second Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Rock Creek Park Tennis Center, Washington DC
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $368,585
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel (USA) | TSN (Canada) | Sky Sports (UK)
Ben Shelton vs Radu Albot preview
Second-seeded young American Ben Shelton will take on Radu Albot of Moldova in the second round of the 2024 Citi Open. Shelton has a 23-16 record in 2024 with one title at the Houston Open. However, he is coming on the back of a disappointing first-round loss against Juncheng Shang at the Atlanta Open.
Apart from the title win in Houston against Frances Tiafoe in the final, Shelton reached the semi-finals of the Dallas Open and the ASB Classic earlier this year. At the Grand Slams, his best result came at the Wimbledon, where he reached the fourth round after playing three consecutive five-setters. He eventually lost to the top seed Jannik Sinner in straight sets. Shelton received a bye at the Citi Open due to his higher seeding in the first round.
Radu Albot has only won four out of the nine matches he has played on the tour in 2024. The player from Moldova has steadily declined in terms of performance and is now ranked beyond 150. Albot has struggled to make the main draws of ATP events regularly this season.
At the Citi Open, Albot defeated Eliot Spizzirri and Terrance Atmane in the qualifying stages to make it to the main draw. In the first round, Albot defeated Facundo Diaz Acosta to face Shelton in the next round.
Ben Shelton vs Radu Albot head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between the two players on the ATP Tour.
Ben Shelton vs Radu Albot odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Ben Shelton vs Radu Albot prediction
Shelton broke on the ATP scene when he reached the semi-final of the US Open last year. The young American has a huge serve that can go up to 149mph. Shelton has also been proficient in delivering effective second serves. His groundstrokes are potent on both the forehand and backhand side, which enables him to engage in long rallies and win points.
Albot had a career-high ranking of 39 in 2019. However, since then, the Moldovian has seen a drastic loss of form which has seen a significant drop in rankings. In his 29 attempts at playing the four Grand Slams, Albot has won only 15 matches at the Slams to date.
Given current, form Shelton should be able to win the match easily and advance to the next round.